Rather, as a result of the merger, libraries must figure out how they fit into the bigger picture. Very little research has been published on the effects these mergers have had on library catalogs. In this study, merging the library catalogs of Edminson Library at Edgewood College of Education in Pinetown and E.G.
The Malherbe Library at the University of Natal on the Durban campus was investigated to determine how these library catalogs were merged and how successful this process was. Unpublished material such as meeting minutes and annual reports formed an integral part of the information gathering process. The evidence from all these sources eventually resulted in conclusions and the lessons learned from the entire merger process.
It was found that the merging of library catalogs should never be underestimated in terms of complexity and the scope of the work involved. The results indicated that while there had been a lack of appropriate management of the merger, both employees and management had learned from and developed in the process.
Background and context 1
For the purpose of this study, the name University of Natal will be used as a result of the merger of the library. A history of the Edgewood College of Education and a history of the University of Natal will follow. Mr Edminson was instrumental in building the "swimming pool", the library and the student union building (Le Roux 1986).
2001 - Johannesburg College of Education with University of Witwatersrand 2001 - Giyani College of Education with University of Venda. Library Information System) library management system and the University of Natal, Durban Libraries used the URICA library management system. The following were the instructions to be followed by catalogers to correct incorrect titles resulting from the merger of the Edminson Library catalog with the catalog of the University of Natal Libraries, Durban.
In terms of the researcher's personal experience, while working on the library catalog of the E.G.M. The University of Tasmania Library was faced with the acquisition of its library collection. The scientific units of the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) were merged in 1990 to form the Overseas Development Natural Resources Institute, now called the Natural Resources Institute (NRI).
A survey of the relevant South African literature identified one study that related to the amalgamation of library catalogues. Gierke (2006) pointed to experiences that came out of the merger of the library catalogs of Natal Technikon and M.L. He was to coordinate and supervise the libraries of all the university's campuses.
University Librarian University of Natal Durban Libraries were not available for interview. The present study aimed to investigate the merger of library catalogs between Edgewood College of Education and the University of Natal Libraries, Durban. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the University Librarian, the Deputy University Librarian and the Head of Technical Services formed the management structure relating to the amalgamation of the library catalogs of the University of Natal and Edgewood College of Education.
All leaders interviewed indicated that they were aware of the incorporation of the Edgewood College of Education into the University of Natal. All stated that no consultants were employed to assist in the amalgamation of the library catalogues. The librarian, who was not available, indicated that the merging of the Edgewood Library catalog with the University of Natal's library catalog was not successful.
The purpose of the semi-structured interviews was to investigate the amalgamation of the library catalogs of the Edminson Library and the University of Natal, Durban Libraries.
Introduction 57
Data obtained from interviews with individuals in the management category showed that insufficient time was devoted to planning and organizing the merging of library catalogs. The present investigation revealed that no consultants were engaged to assist in the merger of the Edminson Library and the E.G.M. Interviews conducted with four groups of individuals regarding the merger of the Edminson Library and E.G.M.
The results obtained from the interviews in this study revealed that no feasibility studies were conducted with the merging of library catalogs between the Edgewood College of Education and the University of Natal, Durban libraries. Current interviews revealed that no project leader had been assigned to assist in merging the library catalogs of the Edgewood Library and the University of Natal, Durban Libraries. The current study found that there was a lack of consultation and communication between all those interested in merging library catalogues.
Because management has not completed the entire process of merging the library catalogs of the Edminson Library and E.G.M. In this study, the success of merging the library catalogs depended on whether or not library staff could easily work on the new merged catalog. The use of the library was crucial for academic staff to fulfill their teaching duties within the university.
The responses from the academic staff infer that there was a lack of consultation between the academics and the major stakeholders involved in the compilation of the library catalogues. Chapter Two also highlighted the various problems arising from the merging of the library catalogues. In merging the library catalogues, no additional staff were employed in the library to assist with the merger.
Information obtained from individuals in the categories of management, academic staff, cataloguers and subject librarians indicated that insufficient time had been spent planning and organizing the merging of the library catalogues. It appears that clear and frequent communication did not occur and staff were unable to provide suggestions to assist in merging the library catalogs. The investigation found that no consultants were engaged to assist in merging the catalogs.
Introduction 69
The study achieved its original intent to merge the Edminson Library library catalog with the E.G.M. After analyzing the results of this study, the researcher concluded that the library catalog merging was not successful at all. The problems arising from the merger of the two catalogs have still not been fully resolved.
The effects of the merger are still being encountered by users of the directory. The time frame set aside for the amalgamation of the library catalogs contributed to the lack of planning. The library staff was uninformed and unable to contribute suggestions to help merge the library's catalogs.
The lack of additional library staff to assist in merging the library catalogs exacerbated the problem. The research found that merging library catalogs is complex in terms of the different processes required and the amount of work involved. The study found that the results obtained by merging the library catalogs of the Edminson Library with the E.G.M.
Library managers should explicitly highlight the benefits of the library catalog merger to the university community. These include the Johannesburg College of Education with the University of the Witwatersrand; Giyani College of Education with the University of Venda and the South African College for Teacher Education with the University of South Africa. A further proposal for research is to evaluate the conversion of the library catalog at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Libraries from one software package to another.
The incorporation of the South African College for Teacher Education at the University of South Africa. I am a master's student in Information Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and am investigating the merging of the library catalogs of Edgewood College of Education Library with the library catalog of the University of Natal Durban, library. University of Natal and the College Library became a branch of the University of Natal Libraries, Durban.
What has been done to inform the university public about the merger of library catalogs. Following the merger of the library catalogs with Edgewood and the University of Natal in 2001.
